


Step by Step

by yavannauk



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M, PWP, Snippets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-01-05
Updated: 2009-01-05
Packaged: 2017-11-25 05:57:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/635821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yavannauk/pseuds/yavannauk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steps upon a journey.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Step by Step

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as a Christmas present for Hils and she said that she was willing to share. With thanks to Barbara for beta assistance.

The first time that Arthur lay with Merlin it was out of necessity rather than for any other reason. On an overnight trip the weather had turned to a sudden, vicious chill that forced them to drag their bedrolls together on the hard-packed, icy ground and share what body heat they could conserve under thin blankets and Arthur's cloak.

It had been oddly pleasant to wake from sleep with Merlin still huddled close, his dark head pillowed on Arthur's shoulder, and if Merlin's sweet, sleep-drugged smile had caused a sudden heat to bloom low in Arthur's belly, that was his secret alone.

For his part, if Merlin had been in any way aware of Arthur's reaction to their closeness, he was smart enough not to mention it.

***

Over time, there came to be more than one occasion where Arthur found himself bedding down close to Merlin. Visits to the outlying villages invariably took several days, requiring them to spend nights camped out in the forest, sleeping on the leaf-strewn earth. Arthur had learned his lesson from that first time, though, and made sure to see to it that they slept head to foot. Merlin never remarked upon it, even when they would lie by a dying fire and trade confidences in the growing dark.

There were some secrets that weren't meant to be shared and Arthur clutched this one close. It was no one's business but his own if he chose to remain awake just so that he could hear the sound of Merlin's breathing slowing and evening out into the cadence of sleep. It was a small pleasure, but one that Arthur didn't care to deprive himself of.

***

The first time Arthur shared the bed in his chambers with Merlin, the loss of Merlin's boyhood friend Will was still an open wound between them. Merlin had been uncharacteristically quiet, almost a shadow of his usual self, for days until Arthur had found himself compelled to reach out and offer what rough words of comfort he could. To his surprise, Merlin had responded to the arm slung casually around his shoulders by turning blindly into Arthur's touch as if he had been craving human contact all along.

After a brief tussle with his conscience over whether or not he was taking advantage of Merlin's grief, Arthur had simply drawn him over to the bed and settled them both on it fully clothed. He'd held Merlin while he talked in an unsteady voice about various childhood exploits in Ealdor and didn't let go, even when Merlin finally fell asleep at his side. When they woke the next morning, Arthur had released Merlin without comment. Even after Merlin brushed a grateful kiss across Arthur's lips he forbore from pressing the issue.

Nevertheless, Arthur had lain on his crumpled sheets for a long time that day, body still tingling with the sense memory of Merlin's presence.

***

For a few days after he had spent the night in Arthur's bed, Merlin could, at times, be found watching Arthur as if he were a puzzle that needed solving. Arthur had thought himself accustomed to Merlin's peculiarities, but this proved disconcerting. There were moments when Merlin's curious stare felt as tangible as a hand on his shoulder and Arthur couldn't help but wonder what it meant. Oddly, he found himself hesitant to ask.

Arthur finally got his answer at the end of a long day that had been filled with particularly boring treaty negotiations. He had rarely been so relieved to retire to his chambers. Once again, Merlin was quiet as he attended upon him, but this time Arthur didn't get the sense that he was troubled. From the looks that Merlin kept shooting him from under lowered lashes, Arthur had the impression of anticipation instead.

That feeling persisted until Merlin moved to help him undress for bed. It was a task he had performed a hundred times before, but something about it felt different on this occasion. Arthur didn't know what it was until Merlin hesitated with Arthur's nightshirt clutched in his fingers. Instead of helping him into it, Merlin stepped closer and raised a hand, pressing it flat against Arthur's bare chest. His eyes conveyed a myriad of emotions as they looked boldly into Arthur's and, for a moment, Arthur could barely breathe. Then he reached out, curling his fingers around the nape of Merlin's neck, pulling him forward into a kiss. Arthur felt Merlin's body relax against his own, his relief palpable in the release of tension from his muscles.

It was a long time before they fell asleep, tangled together, naked, in Arthur's bed.

***

Once Merlin understood that he was always welcome in Arthur's bed, he grew in confidence and seemed more comfortable in his body. Arthur certainly didn't mind that he got to see a great deal more of Merlin's milky pale skin on view as a result. There were few things that got Arthur's heart racing as fast as the sight of Merlin stretched naked on the dark, silky furs covering his bed did.

Becoming Arthur's lover certainly hadn't done anything to improve his sense of propriety, but there was something distinctly decadent about Merlin's loose-limbed sprawl. Though Arthur couldn't deny that walking into his chambers to find Merlin waiting for him, slowly stroking his cock to full hardness was a very pleasant way to conclude his day. Merlin's wide grin and the teasing light in his eyes quickly had warmth flaring through Arthur's body.

First locking the door securely behind him, Arthur strode across the room, stripping off his clothes at each step. By the time he crawled up the length of the bed and covered Merlin's body with his own, Arthur was naked too. And when the curtains closed around the bed without the touch of either of their hands, Arthur merely smiled indulgently before bending his head to kiss a welcome onto Merlin's skin.  



End file.
